


Amanuensis

by SpellCasterLight



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29330544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpellCasterLight/pseuds/SpellCasterLight
Summary: Amanuensis: one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript. [Shikamaru x Hinata]
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Nara Shikamaru
Kudos: 8





	Amanuensis

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form. This story is purely for entertainment not profit.
> 
> Author's Notes: I always wanted to do something with the 'marriage contract' trope but not the obvious story if that makes sense? So when I read this word of the day the idea hit me ^_^
> 
> Pairing Warning: It also goes without saying but if [Shikamaru x Hinata] isn't your thing turn back now.
> 
> Word of the Day - Amanuensis: one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript.

Shikamaru knew D rank missions were gonna be a drag; but this? This was a _drag_.

"Well;" Choji spoke up after a long silence, dragging a document towards him. "We've had worse missions."

The image of Choji being sat on by a rather fat cow from their last farming mission the day before came to the Nara's mind.

"My wrist hurts," Ino complained shaking out her arm and pouting. "Can't we, at least, weed gardens instead? At least then we'd be outside."

Shikamaru sighed, silently agreeing with the blonde.

They had been tasked with making copies of documents that had been sitting around the Hokage Tower for nearly as long as they had been alive. The papers had been sitting around for so long the ink was starting to dry out and flake off making the team of Genin's have more than one conversation about what a word was supposed to be; getting something like 'could' and 'would' mixed up meaning the entire meaning of the document changed.

"What does this say?" Choji asked holding the document for Shikamaru to read. "Does that say marker or maker?"

Shikamaru actually had to pull the paper closer and squint at the word to be able to give an answer. "Maker; that's just a smudge."

"Is anyone ever _actually_ going to read these again? I mean come on! Who needs to find out Konoha bought-" Ino held up the document she was writing "– fourteen cubic metres of lumber from Yakekoge seven years ago," Ino dropped the page and her arms onto the table with a thump. "When would you _ever_ need to dig that up again?"

"You'd be surprised," Shikamaru replied vaguely but honestly, he didn't really know.

His most recent form completed he set it aside to let the ink dry before getting up and making his way over to the large box of documents they had to finish before they could call it a day.

He picked up the top selection to bring back to their table but nearly lost his footing when the documents, stuck on something else in the box, didn't move with his tug.

Groaning his annoyance, he rummaged through the box to find what the papers were caught on; he frowned when he found an official looking scroll; Hokage seal and everything. Taking that out of the box he could see the seal was broken, someone at least had read it.

He lifted it slightly higher; he knew those symbols.

"Whatcha got there Shikamaru?"

The Nara turned to see both his teammates looking in his direction; they were clearly so bored even Shikamaru standing around was more interesting than their assigned task.

"I'm not sure yet."

He sat back down turning the scroll, still closed, over in his palms.

"That looks official," Choji said leaning into his space slightly.

"It's been opened too," Ino added leaning in as well.

"I don't think that was supposed to be in that box of papers for us to copy," Choji muttered looking hesitant; Shikamaru had to agree with his friend's assumption. "Maybe we should-"

"We were _supposed_ to copy everything in the box, right?" Ino pushed on looking interested.

"You just want to know if it's gossip worthy," Shikamaru said running his thumb over the broken wax seal; the wax was awfully thick, definitely the Hokage's office; whatever this was; it was important, at least at some point.

 _"Duh_ ," At least she didn't hide that's all she wanted. "Open it!"

"I don't know," Choji added before turning to him. "What do you think?"

Shikamaru found himself pulling a conflicted expression. "I mean; _technically_ ; our mission was to copy everything in the box; and it _was_ in the box."

"So, open it!" Ino cheered.

With a nervous sigh he opened it and started reading; his eyes bulged at the words.

"No _way_."

"What? What?!" Ino hissed bouncing on the spot in excitement; he swiped her hand away when she tried to take it from him.

"It's a marriage contract."

"Anyone we know?" Choji asked looking interested now.

"Itachi Uchiha."

 _"Itachi Uchiha_ was _engaged_?!" Ino gasped. "To who?!"

Shikamaru took a few seconds to re-read the other name thinking his vision must be going.

"Hi-Hinata _Hyuga_."

"What?!" Both his teammates screamed.

"Hinata? Our classmate Hinata?" Choji asked sounding disbelieving.

Shikamaru shrugged in a 'don't look at me' motion. "Well, I mean, _yea_ ; according to this anyway."

"Hinata's _engaged_?!" Ino placed her hands on her cheeks looking like she'd hit the gossip lottery.

 _"Was_ engaged," Shikamaru corrected, placing the scroll flat on the table to read fully. "The Hyuga's would have been smart enough to put a clause in here to get her out of it if; you know-"

"He went psycho and murdered everyone?"

Shikamaru pinched the bridged of his nose with a sigh. "Yes Ino; something like that."

"What? That's what happened!"

At that moment Asuma stuck his head in the door with a grin. "How's it going in here?"

"Fine!" All three Genin quickly replied; Shikamaru hiding the marriage contract under the table.

Asuma gave them a distrustful look. "Something you're not telling me?"

"Sensei! Can we take a break?" Ino complained. "Just for a glass of juice and some fresh air?"

"And maybe some potato chips?" Choji groaned rubbing his empty stomach looking like he might cry.

Asuma's grin returned. "I was just coming to get you guys for that exact reason!"

"Yay!"

"You're the best Sensei!"

Ino and Choji quickly left the room but Shikamaru took a second to rewrap the scroll and bury it at the bottom a completely different box.

There was a meeting of the clans later that week, all clan heads and heirs had to attend, and now that Shikamaru, Ino and Choji were shinobi they had to attend too.

Shikamaru couldn't quite place it; but now that he was in the same room as Hinata, the first time since Graduation, he couldn't seem to get that defunct marriage contract out of his head.

Did she know? If not; would she _ever_ know? How close she came to becoming an Uchiha; to being Sasuke's sister in law? If Itachi hadn't killed the clan would she have liked it there? Would they have been _nice_ to her?

Him and Hinata had never been _friends_ so to speak but they were always friendly and polite to each other back in the academy; she was far less of a drag than all the other girls he knew and she did make excellent sweets; those were good days in the academy when she brought sweets into class and shared them around.

He felt himself frown. No; he didn't think he liked the idea of _Hinata Uchiha_.

"Why do you keep staring at the Hyuga heir?" His dad asked from his right.

He didn't reply; only blinked to come back to the present.

"Am I?"

"Yes; you are."

"Oh; I didn't realise," he scratched the back of his head. "What a drag."

He looked up to see his dad tilt his head in thought looking at the girl they were talking about. "She's cute."

Shikamaru looked back at the Hyuga heiress and took in her profile as she chatted to her own teammates; pure white eyes, dark violet hair, lovely smile and rosy cheeks.

"Well yea," Shikamaru shrugged. "I suppose."

"Don't be such a drag then," his father said sounding both annoyed and amused. "Why don't you just go talk to her?"

Shikamaru's head rose to his father. "What? Why would I-"

"Oh just _go_ ," Shikaku moaned lightly before giving his son a small shove in the Hyuga's direction.

Shikamaru paused for a second to right himself before biting the bullet and heading over, when he was walking, he managed to catch Ino's eye and motioned with his head that she should follow him.

She caught up with him just before he reached Team Eight.

"Hi guys!" Ino greeted knowing Shikamaru wouldn't.

Team Eight turned to greet the newcomers.

"Hey guys what's up?" Kiba greeted with a grin. "These clan meetings are so boring, aren't they?"

"Ugh! Tell me about it!" Ino agreed with a laugh.

"And we will get to deal with them for the rest of our lives," Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag."

"It-it's not so bad," Hinata spoke up poking her forefingers together but smiling lightly. "At least we-we're to-together."

If she had married Itachi, Hinata would be here as the Uchiha heir _not_ a Hyuga one.

The Nara turned to look at the Hyuga and he could see her cheeks dust pink at the attention.

"So; how are you?"

He could actually _hear_ Ino roll her eyes at him.

"You know-" his mind created the image of Hinata with black eyes instead of her white ones and he had to grit his teeth for a second to pull himself together. "-with your new missions and stuff?"

"Oh-oh!" Hinata jumped on the spot once before smiling. "They're good! Everything's go-going we-well!"

"Well Hinata? Really? You fell in the duck pond on our last mission; drenched from head to toe and the ducks just swam right past your head," Kiba revealed grinning making Hinata blush embarrassed.

"Ki-Kiba," She almost whined.

"That's nothing," Shikamaru felt the need to take the attention off her quickly. "You should have seen it; Choji got sat on by a cow."

Ino laughed out loud at the memory. "He was so mad! It was hilarious."

As Kiba and Ino started swapping war stories Hinata gazed up at him and shot him a small thankful smile.

They all chit-chatted while the grownups talked about real matters for nearly half an hour; when Hinata announced she was going to go to the refreshments table to get a beverage Shikamaru told he would join her.

"It's weird; seeing your future," Shikamaru made a vague sweep of the room with his arm indicating that it would be them doing the rounds as clan heads before they knew it.

Hinata gave a small nod as she took a sip of her drink; holding the glass with both hands. "It's also ni-nice getting to me-meet the clan heads sig-significant ot-others; don't you thi-think?"

"Have you-" his question was definitely brought on by the scroll he read but he wasn't even sure _why_ he wanted to ask exactly. "-Have _you_ ever thought about getting married?"

Hinata's cheeks flushed scarlet. "Uh-umm-I-"

"Are you proposing to my daughter Nara?"

Both Hinata and Shikamaru looked up to see Hiashi Hyuga standing tall and dominating over them; Hinata visibly shrunk and Shikamaru wasn't so sure he wasn't about to do the same when his own father came out of nowhere to save them.

"Oh Hiashi, lighten up, don't be so serious; they're just talking," his father flicked out his wrist in a dismissive motion to add to his tone of the same kind.

The Hyuga clan head only pulled an appalled expression.

"Hinata we're leaving," he barked the command before turning and walking to the door; not even waiting for her.

Hinata took a second to breathe before meeting his eyes again. Her smile was weaker this time and Shikamaru wished he could have done something, so she didn't have to go with someone who obviously made her so worried and scared.

"Bye Shi-Shikamaru."

"Bye Hinata."

When she ran off to catch up with her father he felt his dad place a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks for the save dad; Hiashi looked like he might have killed me right there."

"The man is a piece of work no doubt about that," his dad muttered back taking a sip of the drink he was holding. "Unfortunately, if you really want to marry her, he's the guy you're gonna have to impress."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at his father's joke.

Years later; when their clans were making up their own marriage contract it brought back memories of that mission so long ago and he, for a second, saw Itachi's name were his was and he outright frowned.

"What's the ma-matter Shi-Shika?"

He looked up and found himself smiling lightly at her worried look.

"Nothing Hinata; don't worry," he turned back to their marriage contact, smile still in place. "I just like the way our names look beside each other; that's all."

He felt her wrap her hands around his upper arm in a light ladylike hug.

"Yes;" he could feel her lean her head on his shoulder and hear the smile in her voice. "I d-do as well."


End file.
